Rae denies favouritism for Gers
Rangers midfielder Alex Rae does not believe yesterday’s last-gasp penalty at Hearts was a result of favouritism by officials.
The Ibrox club maintained their six-point lead at the top of the Bank of Scotland Premier League after Fernando Ricksen’s spot-kick earned them a 2-1 win at Tynecastle.
With the game heading for a draw, referee Hugh Dallas awarded the penalty after Jambos striker Lee Miller clashed with Rangers defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos.
Lithuania midfielder Saulius Mikoliunas was shown a red card for the hosts after aggressively confronting linesman Andy Davis who alerted Dallas to the offence.
Rae insists the penalty was deserved and not simply a result of officials tending to favour the big clubs.
He said: “I actually thought it was a penalty because I was over at that side and I thought their lad got underneath Sotirios when he had a free header.
“I think if you are at a smaller club you tend to think that the big clubs get the breaks. I played at smaller clubs but I think that it’s a myth that bigger teams get preferential treatment, I don’t agree with that at all.”
Rae admits the last-gasp victory, however controversially it was achieved, was crucial to keep the club’s championship hopes on course.
He said: “It was something we needed to keep the pressure on Celtic. But if we have any aspirations of winning the league then these are the places we have to go and win.
“Every game is vital but I said three games ago that if we could win them all it would take us a long way to achieving our goal and we managed to do that. Now its important we keep on the run.”
